Google, Facebook, Apple news should be regulated: UK government report

The U.K. report’s findings could add weight to the case for further regulation of tech companies in Britain and across Europe. The recommendations in the report are non-binding and will now be considered by the U.K. government.

The report called on the U.K.’s competition authority to investigate the online advertising industry to “ensure fair competition.” Google and Facebook accounted for an estimated 54 percent of online advertising revenue in the U.K. in 2017.

“The government must take steps to ensure the position of Google and Facebook does not do undue harm to publishers,” the report said.

Last week Germany’s antitrust watchdog ruled Facebook had abused its market dominance in how it collects and merges user data. The authority said Facebook cannot combine data from separate apps like Instagram and WhatsApp without users’ consent. Facebook said it is appealing the decision.

Legal experts say antitrust authorities in Europe may be well-placed to lead the charge against tech companies in the region.

“Competition agencies are often more experienced and better resourced than data protection agencies and hence in a better position to successfully build the case against a big company like Facebook,” said Anu Bradford, a professor and director of the European Legal Studies Center at Columbia Law School, in an email to Imagala.com last week.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, is currently investigating Google for antitrust violations in its advertising business. The Commission has already levied two record fines on the company for abusing antitrust rules with its Android devices and its comparison shopping service.